PSG, Liverpool faceoff in Champions League quarter-final
When Liverpool face Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday night, French lightning will surely have to strike twice for Arne Slot if the Reds are to have any hope of prolonging their European adventure.
The Harvey Elliott-inspired Premier League champions memorably prevailed 1-0 at the Parc des Princes just over a year ago, albeit before Luis Enrique‘s men silenced Anfield from the penalty spot.
Facing a team donning blue for the third match in a row, Liverpool certainly felt the blues against both Brighton and Manchester City, the latter of whom dismantled Slot’s side in merciless fashion in the FA Cup.
A two-week reset during the international break evidently did Liverpool little good, as an electrifying Erling Haaland hat-trick and slick Antoine Semenyo chip propelled Man City into the semi-finals with a 4-0 rout of the Reds.
In Virgil van Dijk’s own words, the English champions “gave up” at the Etihad; a highly worrying admission for all of the fans, the players and the under-fire Slot, who is ostensibly losing more supporters by the week.
While Liverpool are about to cede their Premier League crown with a whimper, PSG are – finally – back in firm control of the Ligue 1 title race.
Lens were hitherto mounting an incredible effort to end Les Parisiens’ reign of dominance, but Les Sang et Or’s recent slip-ups have allowed Enrique’s men to establish a four-point lead at the top of the table, and they still have a game in hand too.
PSG have also progressed from each of their last four Champions League quarter-final ties, and the holders have strung together a seven-game unbeaten run against English teams in the competition, winning five of those fixtures.
There are no prizes for guessing which Premier League team last conquered PSG in Europe, though, and both sides boast three victories over the other in official UEFA fixtures – two small crumbs of comfort for the Liverpool faithful to cling onto.
Not a single one of Liverpool’s previous 36 competitive games against French teams has finished 0-0, and there is little chance of a drab draw at the Parc des Princes, where things could get incredibly messy for the Reds.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Barcelona welcome Atletico Madrid to Camp Nou
Barcelona will welcome Atletico Madrid to Camp Nou on Wednesday night for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
The two sides locked horns in Spain’s top flight on Saturday, with La Blaugrana scoring a late winner through Robert Lewandowski to move seven points clear at the top of the La Liga table.
Barcelona’s previous two quarter-final ties with Atletico in the Champions League have ended in defeat, with the Catalan side losing 2-1 to the Red and Whites in the last eight of the 2013-14 competition and then 3-2 at the same stage in 2015-16.
The Blaugrana have only won one of their previous four European games with Atletico, scoring just three times, but they have been victorious in five of their last six matches against the capital outfit in all competitions, including a 2-1 success in La Liga on Saturday.
Barcelona are now seven points clear of second-placed Real Madrid at the top of the table, while they are the favourites to overcome Atletico in the Champions League, but Hansi Flick‘s team will be fully aware of the challenge that their league rivals could provide.
Barcelona are unbeaten in all competitions for almost two months, and their incredible attacking talent means that they are a seriously dangerous team in this tournament, with the brilliant Lamine Yamal having another glorious season.
Atletico will actually enter this match off the back of three straight defeats in all competitions, including their reverse to Barcelona in Spain’s top flight on Saturday.
Diego Simeone‘s side are fourth in the La Liga table, 12 points ahead of fifth-placed Real Betis, so the league is not their focus at this moment.
Atletico are more than capable of leaving Camp Nou with a positive result on Wednesday night, and we are expecting the tie to be open heading into the second leg, but Barcelona should be able to navigate their way to a narrow first-leg success here.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Braga, Real Betis clash in their Europa League opening fixture
Having both secured turnaround victories in the previous Europa League round, Braga and Real Betis will hope for a more favourable first-leg outcome on Wednesday, when the two sides meet in Minho for the opening fixture of their quarter-final tie.
The Archbishops had to overturn a two-goal deficit from the first leg of their last-16 clash with Ferencvaros to progress, while El Glorioso responded to their defeat at Panathinaikos in emphatic fashion when the two reconvened in Seville for the return leg.
Despite suffering a 2-0 defeat in Budapest, many would still have predicted Braga to overturn their deficit when they welcomed Ferencvaros for the return leg in Minho, but the contest panned out even more straightforwardly than expected.
That triumph sees the Archbishops competing in the quarter-finals of the Europa League for the fourth time and a first since 2021-22, but only on one occasion has the Minho club moved past this stage; that came in 2010-11 when they reached their only European final, losing to Porto in an all-Portuguese contest.
Betis, on the other hand, head into this clash on the back of a goalless draw against Espanyol, leaving the Seville-based outfit fifth in the La Liga table while also extending a patchy run of form.
El Glorioso have won just one of their last eight matches across all competitions (D4, L3), though that sole triumph did come in their most recent Europa League outing, where Manuel Pellegrini’s side secured a 4-0 victory over Panathinaikos to emerge 4-1 winners on aggregate following a 1-0 defeat in Greece.
Betis’ poor away form casts a shadow over their ability to take something from this midweek encounter, with Pellegrini’s men losing each of their last three outings on the road while failing to score in two of those matches.
With Wednesday’s encounter marking the first competitive meeting between the two sides, there is little to draw on in terms of head-to-head reference, but recent momentum gives Braga a slight edge.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Barcelona versus Atletico Madrid
Paris Saint-Germain 20:00 Liverpool
Sporting Braga 17:45 Real Betis
